TV, what next for the advertising video marketplace
Laura Behan, Deputy Head of AV
TV advertising (or AV as it’s now being more commonly referred too) continues to be the backbone of many marketing plans in the UK. As an AV planner this was fantastic to hear as I sat and listened to the first panel of the day.
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend an event; TV, The Next Episode. The event promised to discuss and debate the following questions.
What is the current state of the entire TV landscape? And what’s next?
How can advertisers navigate the many different types of television? And how can we bring broadcasting and connected TV together to build a better-than-ever future for television?
We didn’t find the perfect answer to many of these questions but the speakers (ranging from brand marketers, broadcasters and agencies) highlighted some common themes.
Measurement
This was the biggest trend of the day. It was discussed in the first panel of the day (Advertisers Wish List: What do brands want from TV?) and was still being brought into the discussion on the final panels. (Friend or Foe: Where does Streaming fit in?). The biggest advertisers in the UK invest in their own measurement with many brands on the day citing Econometrics data for their continued investment into Linear TV. However, we know with the changing consumer viewing behaviour that we need to measure more than just the linear portion of TV advertising. Cross AV measurement, tracking linear TV, broadcaster on-demand, advertiser supported on-demand (more commonly discussed as Connected TV) and streaming services (due to the latest announcements from both Disney+ and Netflix) is the holy grail to AV planning and buying in the UK.
Whilst it might sound easy to start measuring all the new forms of TV viewing, it is actually a very complex task. We heard from the CEO of Origin (The UK’s Cross Media Measurement Programme) and Thinkbox’s Matt Hill (Director of Planning) on the challenges of combining AV measurement. The UK already has one of the most trusted TV measurement systems in BARB which tracks linear TV viewing. The broadcasters in conjunction with BARB have recently released their linear TV and broadcaster on-demand cross measurement tool, C-Flight. To add AVOD and SVOD into this measurement tool or to add linear TV data in Origin’s measurement platform, has brought up many questions. The biggest query is from the broadcasters as they want to ensure the data being reported is in-line with current ‘gold standard’ linear reporting we trust in the UK.
The UK still has a long way to go in overall advertising measurement including the AV channels. We are certainly moving in the right direction with C-Flight and Origin. However, with the continuation of viewing consumption constantly evolving, I would expect the industry to still be debating measurement for the next few years.
Viewing Behaviours
How we consume TV and the rise of connected TV viewing was another big topic of the day’s discussion. Brands, agencies and platforms understand that consumers are viewing video content in different ways and this is largely due to technological developments. The way viewers can consume across lots of different devices (Big Screen TV, mobile, laptop etc) through many providers (BBC, ITV, Netflix, Disney+) and across different operating systems (Sky, Virgin, PlayStation, Firestick) creates a few challenges. Firstly, measurement which we have already discussed above. Secondly, agencies and brands truly need to understand all the areas of reaching their audiences across AV. This has opened up lots of questions.
Ensuring our planning tools include the latest viewing experience
- How can we plan for the potential incremental reach of Netflix?
- If we moved x% of budget from linear to CTV, will the plan reach more viewers?
Working with the correct partners to ensure transparency, safety and cost efficiencies
- Can we buy from a single source to access AVOD? Is this the full offering?
- How much cross over is on my plan if I use all providers of CTV?
As a heavy consumer of video, I am always excited to hear of new technologies that enables me to consume my favourite programmes when I want, wherever I am. As an AV planner it is a completed ecosystem that will require confidence and patience, through a test and learn approach.
Creative
The final few panels reminded us of how important the actual video creative we are sharing with our audiences still is and how it might be more important now than ever. As audience’s attention becomes harder to obtain, we need to ensure the creative on screen is captivating. Big and bold brand adverts should still feature as a central point to any campaign. Ogilvy’s Matthew Waksman showcased some fantastic work that reminded us of the power of laughter. In a world where we are constantly seeing and hearing negativity, a brand who brings some laughter to their audiences’ day-to-day lives, even into their home can only be a positive. A good media placement can only be as good as the video people are watching.
MY KEY TAKE-OUT FROM THE DAY
It’s an exciting time to work in our industry. As consumers continue to demand more from the AV marketplace, technology continues to advance, cinematic content becomes the norm, AV advertising will continue to thrive.
